Hybrid cities and new working spaces-The case of Oslo

Recent decades have seen the emergence of hybrid models of living and working associated typologies. These developments have been analysed from the perspective of different disciplines, each with their own interpre-tation of this phenomenon. Planning and architecture have addressed hybridization as a specific form of inter-action between spatio-functional features (such as mixed use, multi-functionality and flexibility) and social features (such as formal and informal interactions and the spontaneous appropriation of spaces) or have sometimes simply focused on the spatio-functional dimension in urban spaces. Studies from other disciplines (e. g. mobility networks, transportation, sociology and information technology) have shown that hybrid spaces cannot exist without access to digitalization technologies. Such technologies are accelerating hybridization processes. This study examines the complex and layered phenomenon of hybridization as a possible combination of (or interaction between) spatio-functional, social and digital features within the planning debate and related fields. Most of the case studies explored by scholars so far have focused on interactions occurring between residential, social and recreational functions, but working functions are playing an increasingly important role. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the development of new forms of hybridity in cities. As a consequence, the rising use of hybrid (on-site and on-line) working practices, planners, policy makers and stakeholders, as well as scholars, have increasingly discussed the concept of hybridization. In this context, various hybrid typologies of urban spaces have materialized in forms such as new working spaces (NWS) which include co-working spaces, incubators, as well as some cafe ' s and multi-functional public libraries, which have recently provided working spaces. This paper focuses on the evolving concept of hybridity from the planning perspective. Based on five hybrid NWS including their surrounding neighbourhoods in Oslo, it provides empirical evidence for an understanding of the phenomenon that may support the development of hybrid spaces and buildings and develops suggestions for planning strategies.

The preferred location of coworking spaces in Italy: an empirical investigation in urban and peripheral areas

With a rising globalization of the economy and society, the digital transformation, and the economic downturn started in 2008, working is becoming less dependent on distance, location, and time. These are some of the reasons that have fostered the development and diffusion of new working spaces like coworking spaces. The paper aims at exploring the location determinants of coworking spaces, an issue that has been less developed by the literature up to now. By focusing on the 549 coworking spaces located in Italy at the year 2018, the paper investigates the location factors of such workplaces, and the attractiveness of large cities as well as peripheral areas. The results of the descriptive statistics and the econometric analysis (a Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial model is applied) confirm that coworking is mainly an urban phenomenon, since coworking spaces tend to be knowledge-intensive places for creative people. Specifically, the municipalities showing higher innovation and entrepreneurial environment (i.e. major cities) are preferred locations. Besides, it is discussed whether coworking spaces may contribute to fostering the development of peripheral and inner areas in Italy, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic where the share of teleworkers outside metropolitan areas has massively increased.

Digital Nomad Tourism: The Experience of Living at the Destination

The negative impact of COVID-19 on international tourism mobility generated two opposite types of discussion: one focusing on how to return to "normality,” and another on how to transform this crisis into an opportunity for redesigning tourism. Mobility restrictions have created a test scenario for teleworking, which has led to the consolidation of the number of digital nomads, describing the professional who uses digital technology and needs a high-quality Internet connection to be able to develop both a professional and a social online and offline lifestyle, while travelling. Digital nomadism represents an increasing tendency worldwide, questioning the existing forms of combining work and leisure and blurring the boundaries between mobility for work and for tourism. As a consequence of the rapid growth of digital nomadism, various destinations have refocused their marketing strategy and present themselves as "digital nomad-friendly” destinations, with ideal conditions to live and work. Urban spaces were the first to react to this new demand due to existing infrastructure standards, whereas rural territories entered the game without much preparation due to the need for escaping the pandemic's effects, considered as isolated and safe areas. Through a theoretical perspective, this paper investigates innovation in the tourism sector in general, as it focuses on the analysis of not only a new segment of tourism but also the analysis of a new concept of mobility that challenges the conventional profile of a tourist and offers new opportunities both for rural and urban destinations. A number of emerging concepts of analysis associate coworking spaces with tourist attractions and the gender perspective within this type of mobility. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

How Customer Responding to Coworking Spaces By 24 Hour Service Providers Under the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Case of Three Dummy Coworking Space Providers at Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand

Purpose: This study objective was looking for the variables of customers' responding to coworking spaces during the covid-19 pandemic in Thailand. In the study we have set up three dummy coworking spaces in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand by testing the customers' responding to the dummy coworking spaces services. Design/methodology/approach: This research is qualitative research and attempted to sizing a coworking space customers' responding to the coworking space satisfaction, based on the various perspectives which described in sub-variables. The research instrument has been developed and created by using the quantitative method as a primary investigator (PI). The sample is four hundred customers who gave their insights about coworking spaces services by measuring their satisfactions. Findings: The results show that consumers are satisfied with product, price, promotion and place perspectives that provided by coworking space providers during covid-19. The recommendation for further study at other cow-orking spaces in many provinces, particularly in the big cities since the covid-19 crisis is getting more severe in the New Normal. Research limitations/implications: Time plays an important factor in the covid-19 crisis and makes a difference as far as prior and after immunization. The research framework needs to conduct more at other provinces for customer satisfaction variables confirmation. Originality/value: This research is original research which explored customers' satisfaction during the Covid-19 pandemic and it provides benefits for co-working space service providers. They adapt the co-working space suitable for people who are comfortable and safe. Furthermore, the co-working space service providers have a customer insight for new service creations. © 2023 People and Global Business Association.

Exploring the "15-Minute City" and near working in Milan using mobile phone data

This paper investigates the changes in neighbourhood attractiveness during the Covid-19 pandemic (2020) compared to the year before in 2019 in the city of Milan. Central neighbourhoods recorded a drop in users from -63% to -47%, while the peripheral areas showed a relatively steady presence during the day. Indeed, remote working and the fear of public transport led to rethinking commuting and re-value working close to home. Semi-peripheral and peripheral neighbourhoods have gained a renewed role in attracting remote workers, and coworking spaces represent a valuable alternative for those willing to improve work-life balance through near working. Within this context, the paper aims to:(i) measure the presence of remote workers at the neighbourhood level;(ii) explore the accessibility to coworking spaces within 15 minutes of walking and cycling distance;(iii) focus on three peripheral neighbourhoods which show the lowest number of city users loss, do not host CSs, and present different levels of essential services and access to subway stations. The three cases are explored to understand whether they are considered feasible locations for hosting a neighbourhood coworking space. The change of the city users' presence in the Milan neighbourhoods in 2019-2020 is analysed using << TIM Big Data - Data Visual Insight >>, which includes the presence and mobility of the TIM mobile network's users.

How (Im)Mobile Are Coworkers in Mid-Sized Cities? Comparing the Spatial Mobility Trajectories of Coworking Communities in Lille, Lyon and Rouen

This paper studies the spatial mobility of around a thousand coworkers of three, mid-sized French cities to better understand coworking spaces. Our analysis, based on online available data on coworkers’ career and education trajectories, and confirmed by selected interviews with the founder, managers and users of the three coworking spaces, reveals a community with purposefully reduced mobility. We provide insights into how coworking spaces, by pooling a diversity of local resources, foster dynamism and allow a reduced spatial mobility option for a less kinetic elite of highly educated workers. Coworking spaces allow coworkers to develop entrepreneurial capabilities whilst striking a balance with their private life. The studied coworking community collectively achieves its goals, with individuals engaging in little international mobility and an overall reduced spatial mobility.Alternate :Ce papier étudie la mobilité spatiale d’environ mille coworkers de trois villes moyennes françaises. Notre analyse révèle que la communauté de travail ainsi constituée se caractérise par une mobilité délibérément réduite. Plus précisément, nos résultats montrent que les espaces de coworking étudiés regroupent une large diversité de ressources locales qui rend possible une mobilité spatiale limitée notamment à l’international. Les espaces de coworking permettent à des coworkers globalement hautement instruits non seulement de développer leurs capacités entrepreneuriales mais également de trouver un équilibre entre vie professionnelle et vie privée.Alternate :Este documento estudia la movilidad espacial alreador de mil coworkers en tres ciudades medianas francesas para conocer mejor los espacios de coworking. Nuestro análisis revela una comunidad con una movilidad deliberadamente reducida. Ofrecemos perspectivas sobre como los espacios de coworking, aunando differentes recursos locales, promueven dinamismo y permiten una opción de movilidad reducida para une élite menos cinética de trabajadores de alto nivel de educación. Los espacios de coworking permeten que los coworkers fomenten habilidades empresariales et consigan un equilibrio con la necessidades de la vida privada. La comunidad estudiada obtiene colectivamente sus objetivos, y los individuos ejercen una limitada movilidad internacional y una reducida movilidad espacial en general.

A systematic literature review of the effects of coworking spaces on the socio-cultural and economic conditions in peripheral and rural areas

Purpose>The literature on coworking spaces (CSs) is growing fast;notably, this topic has attracted a wide range of contributions from various disciplines during the past years. Although CSs first appeared in major cities, small towns and rural areas are also becoming attractive. To date, no literature review has systematically studied the effects of such collaborative-flexible new working spaces proliferating in non-urban areas. Therefore, this paper aims to present a systematic literature review about the effects of coworking spaces located in peripheral and rural areas.Design/methodology/approach>The methodological approach is based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, also known as PRISMA. Following the PRISMA checklist items, this study provides different aspects and identifies indicators from various cross-studies published in 10 years (2011–2021).Findings>Results show that, in the past decade, Europe has recorded the highest number of publications on the topic of coworking spaces (CSs);the main research focus was on spatial planning. CSs foster communities of specialized and high-skilled workers, attract businesses and venture capitalists and may accelerate urban revitalisation processes. The regeneration of spaces can positively affect the value of commercial properties in the vicinity and attract developers. Moreover, by establishing communities and networks beyond the working life, coworking was found to reduce depopulation and even foster the influx of non-urban areas.Practical implications>The findings of this study can be transferred to policymakers to be considered in designing tailored policies in non-urban areas and also places-that-don't matter.Originality/value>By date, this study is the first attempt to conduct a systematic review of the literature on the effects of coworking spaces in peripheral and rural areas. This is important since this typology of flexible-collaborative working space is gaining public attention, especially during the pandemic and the development of such spaces in non-urban areas.

Why do they go to the peripheries? Studying the relations between the real estate market and coworking spaces in the peripheral areas of Germany

Purpose>The study was designed to investigate the bidirectional causation between the real estate market characteristics (residential property prices/rents (including PTR), office rents) and the rise of coworking spaces (CSs) in the peripheral areas of Germany.Design/methodology/approach>Based on the desk research, the authors constructed their own database of 1,201 CSs. The authors gathered data on the residential and office prices and rents on a district level. To identify real market differences between districts with and without CSs, the authors applied the t-test for independent samples.Findings>The second-highest number of CSs were found to operate in the office market peripheries. This phenomenon should be explained by a search for lower office rents, which CSs seek. Most CSs in the peripheral areas of Germany were only recently established in tourist-oriented regions in the south and north of Germany. In this paper, the authors confirmed that the strength of peripheral CSs lies in the hybridity of their operations: for the majority of CSs, running a CS is a non-core business. The authors argue that the role of CSs is rather limited in attracting real estate investors and boosting the real estate market in the peripheral areas of Germany.Practical implications>The research shows that peripheral locations are attracting CSs to significant extent. The study shows that CSs can be part of corporate real estate or workplace strategies. As the majority of peripheral CSs are located in tourism areas, the subletting of vacant spaces could be a lucrative business model for hotels, particularly in the times of pandemics. Therefore, further research should focus on the role of tourist areas in the implementation of CSs model.Originality/value>The focus of this study (CSs in peripheral areas) is original. Additionally, applying the real estate perspective to study the location of CSs is novel as well.

The rise of coworking spaces in peripheral and rural areas in Italy

Coworking space is predominantly an urban phenomenon. Nevertheless, in the last few years, peripheral and rural areas are becoming attractive for this typology of new working spaces, but the literature on this topic is scant. The current paper aims to fill this gap by reviewing the studies on this issue and discussing the renewed role of coworking spaces in peripheral and rural areas during the Covid-19 pandemic, focusing on Italy. Moreover, a detailed and updated picture of the increasing number of coworking spaces in 2018-2020 in the Italian Inner Areas and rural areas is provided. Finally, some case studies of peripheral and rural coworking spaces are presented, followed by conclusions and further research. © 2021 FrancoAngeli. All rights reserved.

The reaction of coworking spaces to the COVID-19 pandemic. A dynamic capabilities perspective

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to many firms reassessing how to deal with their communities. In this study, we focus on a coworking space and examine how the management staff and its coworking community reacted to the pandemic. The uniqueness of coworking spaces is that the community is both the paying customer and it is an integral part of the coworking value proposition. For this paper, a case study in Amsterdam was analyzed and the symbiotic relationship between the coworking space and one of its key resources (the community) was examined. We build on dynamic capabilities theory to identify the processes of how a firm and its community maneuver through the pandemic. We propose that in vibrant times, firms and communities should work in close alignment in order to sense, seize, and transform resources and opportunities. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

Organizational Sustainability Identity: ‘New Work’ of Home Offices and Coworking Spaces as Facilitators

Increasingly, firms need to cope with challenges related to sustainability and ecological transformation while also experiencing an ongoing transformation by implementing New Work forms, a trend even more accelerated by the Covid 19 pandemic. The current study submits the concept of an ‘Organizational Sustainability Identity’ (OSI). It represents a firm's holistic inclination toward sustainability and the ecological transformation. New Work, often understood to advance work satisfaction, creativity, and entrepreneurship might particularly facilitate the evolvement of an OSI, such as by providing more autonomous and humane work while lowering CO2 emissions. We systematically examine New Work related to home offices, coworking spaces, and hybrid multilocal work at the backdrop of supporting the construction of an OSI. In essence, New Work can contribute to the evolvement of an OSI by improving humane work, bridging factual activities that reduce CO2 emissions, and especially by supporting social interactions which facilitate the construction of a shared identity.

Digitalization of Coworking Space Services

Coworking spaces are actors of the entrepreneurial ecosystem with strong social aspect and recognized impact regarding start-up communities. These establishments became frontrunners of increasing work productivity for people working from distance as well. They also make part of the businesses which are directly affected by the pandemic caused by Covid-19 virus. The paper attempts to define a digitalization opportunity of coworking spaces by adapting the business model to the current living conditions with special regards on the services they provide. Beside of identifying the key challenges and edges that the current situation brought, the paper assumes to provide insight information from the point of view of a hub operator and hub members, who decided to preserve their membership. The research includes a literature review of key concepts used within the analyses, followed by the definition of the methodology which covers a study case of a coworking space from a small city located in a developing country. A hybrid approach is included as solution in the paper supported by a business model proposal based on Canvas Business Model. The results of the research are reflecting the needs of a group of entrepreneurs representing micro enterprises, willing to participate in the creative process of business transformation and adaptation. The conclusion chapter summarizes the main findings in the form of recommendations and further alleged questions during the research.